


Hunger

by sensitivebore



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 06:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/683672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensitivebore/pseuds/sensitivebore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carson and Hughes, and hunger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hunger

Elsie wakes suddenly, blinks into the darkness, shoves her hair back from her face. Slowly, she sits up, gets her bearings, tries to figure out what exactly woke her from a sound sleep.

Her stomach growls ferociously, enough to make her cringe with hunger, and she rubs her eyes. It can't be four in the morning yet, but she'll never get back to sleep like this. The house is silent, still, hushed all around her as she draws on her robe, finds her slippers, and shuffles quietly down the women's hall toward the stairs. Mrs. Patmore will have left something out; some bread, some cheese, the fruit bowl. Anything will do at this hour; she'll have a bite and a cup of tea and sleep for another hour.

Elsie yawns, pushes at the loose tendrils tickling her face, tries halfheartedly to tuck them back into the braid. She frowns as she descends the stairs to the kitchen. The gaslight is on already, softly lit but still on.

Carson is standing at the kitchen table, eating what suspiciously looks like dessert from the night before, still in his own robe and pajamas, hair tousled into curls. He nods at her but doesn't speak as he's busy chewing, and she's happy at the thought of leftover pie, goes to get some for herself only to find the dish empty but for a few crumbs scattered in the bottom. She turns and looks at him accusingly.

" _Greedy_."

He swallows his bite, laughs smugly. "To the king, the spoils, Mrs. Hughes."

Elsie stares dolefully into the pie plate. "There was at least a quarter of a pie left, that's just greedy and no other word for it. And you need a  _victory_  to claim spoils, Mr. Carson." She huffs, goes into the kitchen to forage for something else, since pie was clearly not in her immediate future. He follows to put his plate and fork into the sink.

She pokes around resentfully, looks at the plain bread with distaste, is glum to find only apples in the fruit bowl. Feigning remorse, he helps her look through the available foodstuffs. Offers her cheese, jam for the bread. With a scrunch of her nose, she takes the jam.

"Put on the kettle, you great greedy beast."

Companionably, agreeably, he does as asked while she makes herself a small jam sandwich; he plays mother and pours the tea, hands her a cup, settles in the chair across from her to have a cup himself.

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

Elsie gives him a baleful glare as she chews her bread, swallows. "Not eating half a pie by myself, that's for certain." There's a smudge of jam on her mouth.

Carson looks wounded. "A fourth, Mrs. Hughes, let's not exaggerate needlessly. It was delicious pie, succulent, the best berries, the flakiest crust." He rhapsodizes and she eats her sandwich sullenly, contemplates throwing jam at him. Doesn't. Would like to, but doesn't.

Finishing her snack neatly, she takes a last swallow of tea before standing and announcing her departure as she carries her own plate and cup to the sink.

"I don't like you and I'm going back to bed."

He grins, a small grin but a real one, one that anyone else rarely sees. She notices, and files it away quietly in her heart with the others she has carefully saved there. As she passes by, she draws her index finger over his forehead swiftly and keeps walking. Carson is puzzled at her gesture but shrugs, finishes his drink.

"Good night, Mrs. Hughes. You're a poor sport, by the way, I won that pie fairly by being up first."

She doesn't answer, just waves her hand airily and stumbles back up the staircase.

He'll see the jam on his face soon enough.


End file.
